Comfort Grid Horse Stall Mat

The Comfort Grid Horse Stall Mat solves the one problem solid rubber mats can't — standing moisture. Its open-grid surface, built with 2-inch square openings, lets urine and water drain straight through to the base below instead of pooling on top, which is the root of the ammonia and odor buildup that plagues wet stalls. By keeping the horse up out of standing liquid, it's the drainage matting built for the wettest, highest-urinary-load areas of a barn.

The grid works by getting liquid off the walking surface fast. Where a solid flat mat traps urine on top or wicks it into bedding, the open grid drains it straight down, keeping the standing surface drier and slowing the bacterial growth that drives odor. Controlling ammonia is a whole-system job — bedding, surface, and subfloor together — and a draining surface is a direct lever on it rather than a cover-up.

This is the right mat where moisture is the dominant concern — wash bays, recovery stalls, geriatric stalls with high urinary frequency, and humid-climate barns where conventional flat mats hold moisture against the subfloor. The one requirement is a base that can handle the water passing through. Penn State Extension identifies subfloor drainage as one of the factors most tied to long-term equine flooring performance — and the grid only delivers when the subfloor is graded to drain.

Each section runs 4'x5' at 1 inch thick and lays out across wet stalls and wash areas as needed. Within the stall mats for horses range it's the drainage-tier construction, distinct from the standard rubber and cushioned options. Installed over a properly draining base and cleaned on a normal routine, the grid holds up for years — the failure mode isn't the mat, it's putting it over a sealed slab where the drained moisture has nowhere to go and pools underneath.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the open-grid design handle moisture differently from a solid mat?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The grid lets urine and water drain straight through to the base below instead of pooling on the surface or wicking sideways into bedding. That directly attacks the ammonia and odor problem that builds up in high-moisture stalls, where a solid flat mat traps liquid on top or against its underside. The tradeoff is that the moisture goes somewhere — so the grid belongs over a base built to drain it, not a sealed slab where water would just collect underneath.

What kind of base does the Comfort Grid need underneath?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

One that can take the moisture passing through it. The best base is a graded concrete surface with drainage, or a thoughtfully prepared, well-draining packed-dirt or stone base that lets liquid move away rather than pool. On a sealed, flat slab with nowhere to drain, the grid loses its advantage — water collects in the low spots underneath. Tell us what's under the stall and we'll confirm whether the grid is the right call or a solid mat fits better.

Is the open grid comfortable for a horse to stand on?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Its comfort comes from keeping the horse dry, not from cushioning. The open grid drains liquid away so the horse stands on a drier surface instead of in pooled urine or water — the real comfort and health gain in a wet stall. It isn't a soft, give-underfoot mat; if a horse needs cushioning for long hours of standing, that's the cushioned soft-stall construction, not the grid. Use the grid where staying dry is the priority.

What size is it, and where should we use it across the barn?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Each section is 4'x5', and the grid lays out across wash bays, recovery and geriatric stalls, and any high-moisture area where pooling is the problem. For a multi-stall facility, the practical pattern is the grid in the wet and high-urinary-load areas and solid rubber in standard working stalls, kept consistent so replacement is simple. Send the stall or wash-bay dimensions and we'll work out the layout and section count.

By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.